TexMessage: State secret — Obama reveals that Austin was the last city he strolled around freely

Good morning, TexMessagers! What did you think of President Obama’s big immigration speech in El Paso? (Please post your comments below.)

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TEXclusive

President Obama’s marathon daytrip to Texas is over, but the political reaction to his immigration speech is still coming into our “inbox.” Some highlights and/or lowlights (you decide):

★ House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio: “The President is right that we are a nation of immigrants, but we are a nation of legal immigrants. And he is right that Washington needs to know that a movement is gathering, but this movement is comprised of the majority of Americans wanting to see our immigration laws enforced.”

★ Rep. Gene Green, D-Houston: “I’m more concerned about somebody coming in to do us harm than somebody coming in to cut our grass.”

★ Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin: “Before we start talking about reforming our immigration policy we need to prioritize our national security and gain operational control of the border. Despite the president’s rhetoric that he has gone ‘above and beyond’ to secure the border, this mission is not accomplished.”

★ Katherine Cesinger, spokeswoman for Gov. Rick Perry, who declined an invitation to greet Obama: “Gov. Perry wanted to meet with the president to discuss the wildfires and border security, not just shake his hand in a receiving line on a tarmac. When the president wants to get serious about the issues facing the people of Texas, the governor will gladly meet with him.”

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Texas Tips

Every morning, we offer Texas news you may not have heard and insights from the Washington bureau staff.

★ STATE SECRET. At a Democratic fund-raiser last night in Austin, President Obama revealed that the Texas capital was the sight of his last stroll amid regular people before the Secret Service cracked down on his impromptu walks in the 2008 campaign. “It was right before a debate (with Hillary Clinton) and I started walking down the river and at the time nobody quite noticed me,” he said. “And I got pretty far down from the hotel and then somebody said, you’re Obama, aren’t you? And that was it. Secret Service started coming around.”

★ OBAMA ♥ AUSTIN. Austin — or as some Republicans call it, The People’s Republic of Austin — is one of the president’s favorite cities. Listen: “I just love Austin, Texas,” he said last night at a high-dollar fundraiser at the posh home of Blaine and Alexa Wesner. “I get a good vibe coming to Austin. So, post-presidency, if I decide to come back and there’s not a strong candidate for mayor — you never know. I’m a football fan, too.”

★ TED POE TO CELEBRATE OPENING OF KING STREET PATRIOTS’ NEW LOCATION. The guest list also includes Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Click here to read more about the event.

★ A GLASS CEILING BREAKER. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison tells Voice of America that politics is different now than when she started. She has a long lists of “firsts” as a woman over her long career in Texas and national politics, but she’s hanging up the saddle after her fourth term in the Senate ends.

★ “I THINK I’M ON THE VERGE OF IT.” Rep. Ron Paul has opened an Iowa campaign office and told the AP he is planning to make a formal decision on whether he will run for president in 2012 within a week. (Guess what he’ll do.)

Reader Comment of the Day

In response to our story on Rep. John Culberson’s comments about Obama’s immigration reform, TruthinGovt wrote:

We need to enforce the immigration laws and fine everyone who comes to this country illegally a minimum of $10,000 plus the cost of capture and deportation.

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Texas Watch

TxPotomac lets you know what stories to look out for today — and later this week.

On Deck: Today

★ The House Committee on Homeland Security subcommittee hearing “On the Border and in the Line of Fire: U.S. Law Enforcement, Homeland Security and Drug Cartel Violence.”

Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Austin on the hearing:

“This administration is not giving the American people a complete picture of security on our border with Mexico. It is not ‘better now than it has ever been’ and the data on spillover crimes and violence is deceiving and underreported. Our state and local law enforcement on the front lines need help. Their firsthand accounts tell the real story of how we are outmanned, overpowered, and in danger of losing control of our own communities to narco-terrorists.”

★ The House Energy and Commerce Committee will vote on whether to extend the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards program. Rep. Gene Green, D-Houston, is a co-sponsor of the bill to extend it.

On Deck: Later this week

★ Thursday: The House Committee on Homeland Security subcommitee hearing on “Taking Measure of Countermeasures (Part 2): A Review of Efforts to Protect the Homeland Through Distribution and Dispensing of CBRN Medical Countermeasures.”

★ Thursday: The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will meet to examine the situation in Libya.